A Change in Timing
by Contrail
Summary: When a rain-shrouded young girl arrives at the scene of a thief's defeat just a little bit early, she meets a certain ice mage long before she would have otherwise. How will this early meeting affect their futures? [Gruvia What if?, diverges from Ice Trail chapter 8]
1. Chapter 1

**A Change In Timing**  
**Chapter 1**  
by Contrail

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, and is being used without permission. No profit is being made from this story.

**Notes:** Based off of Gray and Juvia's near miss in Fairy Tail Ice Trail chapter 8. I know Juvia appears to talk in first person in that, but I'm not sure if that's a continuity error or not, and I'm used to writing her talking in third person, so I decided to go with third person for her speech in this.

* * *

Juvia could feel her heart sinking in her chest with each step she took down the street. She'd returned to where she'd lost the gift she was bringing to her uncle, but had been unable to find a trace of it. It looked like it was well and truly gone. Sighing to herself, she was continuing down the road when a loud cry up ahead grabbed her attention. There was a large crowd gathered, yelling something about a… thief? Wondering if it might have something to do with her gift's disappearance, she walked towards the crowd as quickly as her little legs would carry her.

By the time she got there, the crowd had already mostly dispersed. A boy close to her age was still squatting there, though, examining a stained bag full of something with a frown. "Damnit… This thing's toast…"

"Is something the matter?" The question was asked by a quiet voice, but the unexpected sound still almost made Gray jump out of his skin. Turning to the source of the question, he found that a girl had managed to sneak up on him while he was occupied with examining the bag of golden cotton. She looked to be a little younger than him, and looked to be well prepared for the unexpected rain, carrying an umbrella and even having a teru teru bozu pinned to the front of her coat.

He scratched the back of his head as he answered, "Er, well, there was something really valuable in here, but the rain… kinda ruined it."

"Oh." The girl looked down at her shoes, the corners of her mouth drooping. "Juvia is sorry."

Gray blinked at her. "Why? It's not like the weather's your fault."

But that statement only seemed to upset her further. "But it is!" she insisted, sniffling. "Juvia brought the rain with her!" As if to confirm her tale, the rain was growing heavier around them.

He was starting to panic - he didn't know what to do with crying girls, particularly not ones who apparently made it rain when they cried! "Uh, well, it's not like you meant to ruin it, right?"

Juvia looked up at him and nodded cautiously, the rain lightening a little.

Letting out a relieved breath, he continued, "And you must have powerful magic if you can change the weather like that."

She looked down again, fingers twisting the hem of her coat. "But Juvia can't control it at all. It just rains wherever she goes."

"It takes time and training to get good at magic, y'know. Once you can control yours, I'm sure you'll be really strong," he reassured her. "Someday all your clouds will clear away and you'll see the blue sky."

Eyes wide, she looked up at him again, a tentative but hopeful smile on her face. "Do you really mean that?"

"Yeah," he said with a nod, happy that she seemed to be cheering up. It was now barely drizzling. "And rain's not all bad. It waters plants, and leaves puddles that are fun to splash in."

Her cheeks looking a bit pink, she looked away shyly. "Nobody's ever said anything that nice about Juvia and her rain before." Gray frowned a little at that - not ever? - but before he could say anything more, her eyes widened as she gasped. "Oh! There's Juvia's present! She thought she lost it, or…"

"I guess that stupid thief must've took it with the other stuff, but I got him good!" Gray smirked a little, remembering how he'd clobbered that guy.

Having moved over to where her gift was lying and picked up, she turned back towards him, a confused expression on her face. "You did? How…?"

"With my magic! I'm an Ice-Make Mage, see?" He brought his hands together in the right pose and quickly made a teru teru bozu to match the one attached to her coat.

Stepping closer to him, she peered curiously at the ice creation, a smile slowly stretching across her face. "Wow, that's amazing!" He couldn't help grinning at her reaction. After a few more moments of carefully examining the figure resting in his palm, she shifted her focus back to him and asked, "Um, what's your name?"

"I'm Gray."

"Gray-… sama," she decided with a small nod. "Juvia is Juvia, and she thanks you very much for stopping the thief. She would have lost this, otherwise."

He blinked at her. He didn't think he'd ever had anyone address him with such a respectful suffix before, but he couldn't say he really minded it. "Uh, sure. No problem."

"Juvia just wishes she had some way to reward you, and make up for ruining your things, but she has nothing to give you…" Her voice trailed off as she looked away sadly, only to perk up a few moments later as an idea occurred to her. "She could make something and send it to Gray-sama later."

"You don't have to go that far…" Not that he objected to the idea of getting a reward, but really, she didn't have to go out of her way like that to do so. "Besides, I don't have anywhere for you to send it to."

A puzzled frown crossed her face. "You don't? But then where do you live?"

He looked a way, rubbing the back of his head again. "I don't. Live anywhere, that is." Seeing her expression growing concerned, he took a nervous glance at the sky, which was still somewhat overcast even though the rain had stopped a while back. "But this guy told me about a guild called Fairy Tail over in Magnolia, so that's where I'm heading."

Relaxing at his words, she nodded. "If Gray-sama joins a guild, he won't have trouble finding somewhere to stay. Juvia's uncle recently became the master of a guild, so she should know. But that doesn't tell Juvia where she should send the reward…"

"I told you, you don't need to…"

She ignored him as she started to dig through the bag she was carrying. "Juvia knows, she can give Gray-sama her address! That way, once he's settled somewhere in Magnolia, he can write her to let her know where to send his reward to." She smiled as she pulled out a notepad and pencil from her bag.

Gray sighed. It was obvious that he wasn't going to convince her not to do this. He supposed it was kind of sweet of her, to be so concerned about rewarding him for getting her present back and making up for ruining the golden cotton.

Once she was done writing her address down, she tore the sheet out of the notepad and handed it to him. "Don't forget to write. Juvia should be going now, or she might miss her train…" She turned and started to walk away, only to look back at him after a few steps. "Juvia is glad she met Gray-sama!" With a small wave, she took her leave.

He smiled at her retreating back, then frowned. With the golden cotton ruined, he still didn't have a way to pay for his own train ticket. Thankfully, a wealthy businessman who wished to reward him turned up shortly to get him out of that particular pickle, and he left the town under clearing skies.

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If anyone's wondering about the reference to Juvia's uncle being the master of a guild, sasskiiia on tumblr has a headcanon that Jose Porla is her uncle. While I'm not sure if I'd like that to actually turn out to be true in canon, I decided to make use of that headcanon here because I think it'll work out well for this story.

Please review and let me know what you think! :^)


	2. Chapter 2

**A Change In Timing**  
**Chapter 2**  
by Contrail

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, and is being used without permission. No profit is being made from this story.

* * *

Gray let out a relieved sigh as he shut the door to his new room. The last couple of days had been hectic - there'd been lots of unexpected complications on the way to getting into Fairy Tail. But he was officially a member now - he had the guild's mark stamped on his chest and everything. When Fairy Tail's guild master learned that he didn't have anywhere to stay in town, he'd suggested that Gray stay at a local church that took in orphans. Most places wouldn't rent to someone as young as he was without an adult being involved, and Gramps thought he was a little young still to be living all on his own anyway.

Not having a better idea, Gray had agreed. The master had called over a young girl named Cana, one of the few other members around his age, and asked her to show him where the church was. As they walked together, Gray found out that she lived there, too. He couldn't help wondering a little what had happened to her parents, and what had brought her to Fairy Tail, but he refrained from asking. It's not like he knew her that well, to ask about things like that. Plus bringing that stuff up might make her ask about _his_ parents…

After talking to the head priest for a bit, he had permission to stay there as long as he needed to. With that settled, Father Block had assigned a room to him. The room wasn't very large, with barely enough room for a bed, a desk, a set of shelves, and a dresser for clothes. But it was better than trying to scrape enough money to stay somewhere (if he could find one) or sleeping on the side of the road.

Setting the pack the cranky old lady had given him down on the floor, he started digging through the contents. In addition to another set of clothes (that were just as old-fashioned as the other pair he'd been given, but beggars can't be choosers) he found the ruined jacket and pants he'd been wearing during the fight against Circus Night. Searching through the pockets for anything important, he frowned a little when he felt something crinkle in his grasp.

Pulling it out, he discovered a folded up piece of paper. Not quite remembering where he got it from, he carefully unfolded it, smoothing out some wrinkles in it. Seeing an address written on it brought back the memory of meeting that girl who made it rain. She'd wanted him to write to her so she could send him a reward.

Looking down at the slip of paper, he briefly considered just tossing it. He didn't really care whether she sent him something or not. He'd defeated Doronbo to get his own stuff back, not because he was trying to get any sort of reward. But then her remembered how downcast she'd been when talking about how she made it rain, and how she'd smiled when he'd tried to cheer her up. _Nobody's ever said anything that nice about Juvia and her rain before._ It wouldn't take that much effort to send her a letter, and it'd probably make her happy.

After managing to convince one of the priests to give him an envelope, a piece of paper, and a pencil, he sat down at his desk and started to write.

_Hi Juvia,_

_This is Gray. I managed to get into Fairy Tail after running into a little bit of trouble on the way. I have a place to stay now, so you can send things to me at the following address:_

_295 Quince Street_  
_Magnolia_  
_Fiore_

_I guess I'll hear from you soon._

_\- Gray Fullbuster_

After sending the letter off, the subject soon left his mind. He had the excitement of taking on jobs as a member of an official guild to think about, after all. But a couple of weeks later, Gray received a soft, squishy package in the mail. Taking it to his room and opening it, he discovered a letter and a gray object made of cloth. Unfolding it, he saw that it was actually a scarf. The knitting was a bit uneven and it had a few apparent flaws in it, signs of the maker's inexperience. Setting the scarf aside, he started reading the letter that accompanied it.

_Dear Gray-sama,_

_Juvia was very happy to receive your letter. She is also glad that you were able to join Fairy Tail, though she is a little worried about the trouble you mentioned running into. You weren't hurt badly, were you?_

_Juvia didn't have any more problems reaching her uncle after she got on her train. The sky even almost cleared up while the train was leaving the station. Juvia really hopes she'll get to see what a blue sky looks like someday._

_Uncle seemed to be pleased with the gift Juvia brought with her, even though she wasn't sure if he'd like, since she'd never met him before. But since he will be responsible for Juvia from now on, he wanted to see her at least once._

_Like Juvia told you before, Uncle is the master of a mage guild, so he wanted to see how much potential she had while she was there. Some of the things he had Juvia do were weird, and she was very tired afterwards. But Uncle said that Juvia would probably be a really strong mage when she got older! He also said that she had a strong affinity for water magic, and that might have something to do with the rain that follows Juvia around. Maybe if she learns enough, she'll be able make the rain stop._

_After she stayed at Uncle's for a week or so, he sent Juvia back home with some books on magic to study. He also sent Agnes-san with her, because Juvia isn't old enough to take care of herself. Agnes-san does all of the cooking and cleaning, but she lets Juvia help sometimes. Juvia wants to learn how to do those things so she can take care of herself someday, and won't have to trouble Agnes-san anymore._

_Agnes-san also helped Juvia make your reward! Juvia wasn't sure what to get you at first, but she thought that you'd like something she made herself. And your magic and your coat made Juvia think of winter, and scarves are nice to have when it's cold outside, aren't they? She chose the color to match your name, too. Juvia really hopes you'll like it!_

_Could you tell Juvia what it's like to be part of a mage guild? She wants to know because she wants to join one once she's older and better at magic, but she doesn't want to bug Uncle with too many questions. Plus she'd like to know if you're doing well or not._

_With love,_

_\- Juvia Lockser_

Setting down the letter, Gray took another look at the scarf. He was an ice mage, used to feeling the cold, so he didn't really need a scarf, and it wasn't that well made… Yet knowing that she'd worked hard to make it, thinking of him all the while, filled him with a weird, warm feeling. Well, he guessed he could wear it when it got colder, even if he didn't really need it.

Reading over Juvia's letter a second time, his lips started turning down into a frown. She'd said that her uncle was responsible for her now, the letter didn't mention her parents at all, and her uncle had felt the need to hire someone to look after her. Like his parents, were Juvia's…? Well, whatever was the case, he wouldn't ask. If she wanted to tell him about them, she would.

Juvia had asked him some stuff, hadn't she? Gramps had made sure to impress upon him that there was some stuff he shouldn't tell people outside of the guild, but he should be able to share some stories about missions and stuff, right? When he'd sent that first letter, he'd expected that she'd send him something and that would be that. But it wouldn't take that much time to write her back, and she'd put a lot of effort into that scarf for him…

So he pulled out another sheet of paper and started writing.

_Hi Juvia,_

_The scarf you sent me is nice, so thanks. And no, I didn't get too badly hurt. I'm strong, so you don't have to worry about me._

_As for being part of a mage guild, I don't know what ones other than Fairy Tail are like, but the people here are kind of rowdy, though they're fun, too. All kinds of different jobs are posted on the mission board here, and there's another one with even harder jobs that only the strongest members of the guild can take on. I'm definitely going to become strong enough to do those one day!_

_I'm not surprised your uncle told you you'd be strong someday. Didn't I say that you had to be strong to make it rain like that? It's cool that you're good with water magic, since water and ice are related._

_I hope you're doing well._

_\- Gray Fullbuster_

And that's the way a correspondence that would last for years started.

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Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and/or favorited the previous chapter! :^) Sorry that it's taken me over five months to update this! I'll try to get the next chapter out more quickly. Also, if anyone's feeling put off by all the letters in this chapter, don't worry, I'm not planning to make the rest of the chapters so letter heavy, though there will still be the occasional one or two.


	3. Chapter 3

**A Change In Timing**  
**Chapter 2**  
by Contrail

**Disclaimer:** Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, and is being used without permission. No profit is being made from this story.

* * *

Gray's letters to Juvia usually talked about mischief he and Cana had gotten into, or interesting things he'd seen or done while doing jobs, while Juvia's usually were about magic she was studying or things she was learning from her housekeeper. Gray would occasionally forget to reply to Juvia's letters, but she would keep sending them regardless, and he'd always feel guilty when he realized he'd been ignoring her. She went to a school that taught normal subjects in addition to studying magic at home, and while she tried not to dwell on it in her letters it was clear that none of the other kids at her school liked her. So really, he was the only friend she had, he'd be a jerk if he just stopped responding to her. Besides, telling her about what he was up to was kinda fun.

Months passed with them exchanging letters like this. In time, Juvia's letters began expressing increasing frustration with the fact that, while she was doing well in her efforts to master the use of water magic, she was no closer to finding a way to get rid of the ever present rain that followed her. Obviously, Gray didn't know enough about different types of magic to be able to help her, but it eventually occurred to him that he knew someone who did. Gramps knew a lot about magic - he knew how Iced Shell worked even though he didn't use ice magic, for example - and while running the guild usually kept him pretty busy, he always did his best to make time to listen to the kids' questions and concerns.

After Gray explained Juvia's problem to Gramps, the old man frowned, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Magic that deliberately changes the weather is not uncommon, but to have such effects unintentionally… Some sort of curse, perhaps, or maybe a family trait… I'm afraid it would take much more time than I have to spare to find an answer for this friend of yours."

Feeling a bit disappointed, Gray nodded to indicate he understood. "Thanks anyways, Gramps."

"Please tell them not to give up, and that I hope they will find a way to stop the rain from falling."

"Will do."

When Gray sent Juvia a letter telling her about his talk with Gramps, he was a bit surprised by the response he got back.

_Dear Gray-sama,_

_It was very sweet of you to ask your guild's Master about Juvia's rain. But really, you didn't need to try to do anything about it - it's Juvia's problem to deal with, after all. If it's a rare problem like you say, though, then that helps explain why Juvia hasn't found any information about it yet. She'll just have to keep searching for answers, and maybe someday Juvia'll get to see a blue sky._

_With love,  
Juvia Lockser_

He shook his head, and wrote back a quick reply that duh, they were friends, of course he'd try to help her if he could.

More time passed, and gradually more children joined Fairy Tail, starting with Erza, and then Natsu a year later. Stories of the antics he got into with them found their way into his letters to Juvia. She eventually admitted that she was kind of jealous, and wished she had friends she could have fun with like he did. Honestly, he didn't think some of the stuff he described qualified as fun (like when Erza forced him and Natsu to take baths with her), but he tried to reassure her that she'd be able to make friends of her own once she joined her uncle's guild.

One day, Gray was reading one of Juvia's letters in the guild's main hall, not paying much attention to his surroundings. That's why he didn't notice Natsu standing next to him and looking over his shoulder until Natsu asked, "Whatcha reading?" and snatched the letter out of his hand to take a look at.

Jumping up from where he'd been sitting, Gray reached out to grab the letter back. "Hey! That's mine!"

Natsu managed to keep the letter away from Gray long enough to scan the beginning and end of it. "Oooh, it's from a girl! Does _'Gray-sama'_ have a girlfriend?!"

"Give it back! Juvia's just a friend!" An embarrassed Gray yelled as he tackled Natsu to the floor and they started wrestling with each other for control of the letter. They struggled with each other, shouting insults back and forth, for a few minutes before they each felt a strong hand grip their collar and pull them apart.

Looking up with great trepidation, they found what they expected (but dreaded) - a scowling Erza holding them apart from each other. "Are you two fighting?" she growled at them.

Natsu quickly shook his head no but Gray looked down and grumbled, "He took a letter a friend sent me."

Erza sighed. "How many times must I tell you not to just take things from other people, Natsu? Give Gray his letter back."

Natsu pouted as he begrudgingly held out the letter to Gray. "I wasn't going to keep it! I just wanted to see what it was…"

Gray accept it, frowning when he noticed how wrinkled the letter had gotten during their fight. At least the flame brained idiot hadn't set it on fire. Letting go of their collars, Erza continued lecturing Natsu on proper behavior. Standing where Erza couldn't see him, Gray made a face at Natsu before leaving the guild hall. He was definitely going to avoid reading Juvia's letters there in the future.

Juvia and Gray sometimes talked about meeting up in person again, but that was something easier said than done. Gray didn't really have the money to travel for fun - most of what he made from jobs went to keeping him clothed (damn stripping habit) or towards travel expenses for his jobs. While Juvia would've had to ask her uncle to pay for any trips she went on, and she was pretty reluctant to ask him to do that so she could meet someone her uncle had never met and knew little about.

It wasn't until Juvia's twelfth birthday that they saw each other face to face again. Gray had managed to scrape enough jewel together for a train ticket to Juvia's hometown and a present. A narrow river with banks lined with willow trees ran through the middle of the small town. Juvia's house was located on the outskirts of the town, a decent sized two-story home that looked well-kept. A light drizzle was falling over the area around it, so Gray was carrying an umbrella with him.

Knocking on the door, it was soon answered by a middle-aged woman with a pleasant smile. "Please come in. The young miss is waiting for you in the living room." The housekeeper started leading him in that direction but they hadn't gone far when they caught sight of Juvia racing towards them.

"Gray-sama! You really came!" A wide smile stretched across her face.

"'Course I did. I said I was going to, didn't I?" Gray rubbed the back of his head, a little awkward in the face of such an enthusiastic reaction to his presence. Thrusting a small gift-wrapped package towards her, he continued, "Um, happy birthday. Here, I brought you a present."

"For Juvia?!" Somehow, her smile managed to get even wider at this. Carefully pealing the wrapping paper away, she opened the box to reveal a simple glass pendant in the shape of a teru teru bozu doll, hung on a silver chain. "Oh, it's pretty!"

Gray shrugged. "It wasn't expensive or nothing, I just got it because it reminded me of when we first met."

"Still, Juvia loves it! She'll treasure it forever!" He was spared having to come up with an answer for that declaration when Juvia finished putting the necklace on and grabbed one of his hands and started pulling him deeper into the house. "Agnes-san made Juvia's favorite dish for lunch today, she hopes you like it!"

He soon found himself sitting at the dining room table, an admitted delicious pasta dish set in front of him. Gray looked up from his food when Juvia asked, "Has Natsu-san gotten into any trouble since your last letter?"

Smirking, he replied, "Oh, man, has he ever!" Gray launched into the story, which left Juvia giggling and shaking her head. The initial awkwardness easing, they found it as easy to talk with each other as it was to write. They played a few card games together and watched a movie lacrima.

When they went outside afterwards so that Juvia could show him more of the property, it wasn't even drizzling anymore, and the cloud cover was thin enough that they could barely make out the outline of the sun through it. The late February air was chilly, but Juvia was dressed warmly and the cold rarely bothered Gray, so they didn't mind.

"Uncle thinks Juvia will be ready to join his guild in another year or so," she commented as they walked.

"Really? That's great! Y'know, I'd like to fight you some time," Gray responded.

"Eh? Fight Juvia?" She cocked her head to the side.

"Not seriously, I meant like a sparring match or something," Gray clarified. "It'd be fun to see which of us is stronger."

"Maybe someday," Juvia agreed with a small smile.

When it came time for Gray to leave, Juvia abruptly threw her arms around him as he stood in the doorway. "Thank you so much for coming! This was Juvia's best birthday ever."

Patting her head a little awkwardly as he let her hug him, he smiled down at her. "I had fun, too."

Releasing him, she looked up at him hopefully. "Maybe Gray-sama could come again next year."

"Maybe. Anyway, I really need to get going if I'm going to catch my train. Bye!"

"Goodbye!" With a last wave, Gray headed back towards the train station. It was a little sad that even having a single person there for her birthday was rare enough to make her so happy, but he was glad he'd been able to give her a reason to smile.

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Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, and/or favorited the previous chapter! :^)


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